Cell Mechanics at the Rear Act to Steer the Direction of Cell Migration

Overview

Journal Cell Syst

Publisher Cell Press

Specialties Biology
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Date 2020 Sep 11

PMID 32916096

Citations 16

Authors

Greg M Allen

Kun Chun Lee

Erin L Barnhart

Mark A Tsuchida

Cyrus A Wilson

Edgar Gutierrez

Alexander Groisman

Julie A Theriot

Alex Mogilner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Motile cells navigate complex environments by changing their direction of travel, generating left-right asymmetries in their mechanical subsystems to physically turn. Currently, little is known about how external directional cues are propagated along the length scale of the whole cell and integrated with its force-generating apparatus to steer migration mechanically. We examine the mechanics of spontaneous cell turning in fish epidermal keratocytes and find that the mechanical asymmetries responsible for turning behavior predominate at the rear of the cell, where there is asymmetric centripetal actin flow. Using experimental perturbations, we identify two linked feedback loops connecting myosin II contractility, adhesion strength and actin network flow in turning cells that are sufficient to explain the observed cell shapes and trajectories. Notably, asymmetries in actin polymerization at the cell leading edge play only a minor role in the mechanics of cell turning-that is, cells steer from the rear.

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